Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये दयाधर्मो न धर्मो भूतविद्रुहाम् । सर्वदा सर्व दानेषु भूतद्रोहं विवर्जयेत्

Transliteration

cāturmāsye dayādharmo na dharmo bhūtavidruhām | sarvadā sarva dāneṣu bhūtadrohaṃ vivarjayet

Translation

ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ ദയാധർമ്മം പ്രധാനമാണ്; ജീവദ്രോഹികൾക്ക് ധർമ്മമില്ല. എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും, എല്ലാ ദാനങ്ങളിലും ജീവദ്രോഹം പൂർണ്ണമായി വർജിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the four-month period (Cāturmāsya)
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• दयाधर्मः: the duty of compassion
• दयाधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दयायाः धर्मः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• धर्मः: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मः: Vidhi (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• भूतविद्रुहाम्: of those who harm living beings
• भूतविद्रुहाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + विद्रुह् (धातु) → विद्रुह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतेषु विद्रुहः येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (दानेषु इति विशेष्ये) Locative plural

• दानेषु: in (acts of) giving
• दानेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• भूतद्रोहं: harm to living beings
• भूतद्रोहं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतानां द्रोहः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• विवर्जयेत्: should avoid
• विवर्जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should avoid’

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim distributing food and water with gentle hands while protecting small creatures (ants, birds, cows); a calendar motif indicates Cāturmāsya; a dark figure ‘Bhūta-droha’ is barred from entering the dāna-space by a radiant ‘Dayā’.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Dayā (compassion)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion and non-harm are presented as the very measure of dharma, especially during Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative setting of Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

When performing dāna (charity), ensure it is free from violence or harm to any being; uphold dayā as a Cāturmāsya observance.